Bill Cosby faces sentencing over sex assault

Bill Cosby, the comedian once known as “America’s Dad”, faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison over sexual assault charges. The two-day sentencing hearing at Montgomery County Courthouse in Pennsylvania has started.

At a retrial in April, the 81-year-old star of The Cosby Show was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting ex-basketball player, Andrea Constand in 2004. Ms Constand said she had viewed him as a “mentor” before he abused her.

In June 2017, she described being given pills that left her “frozen” and unable to stop Cosby from assaulting her.

There is a wide range of possibilities for Cosby’s sentence. He could receive a prison term of up to 10 years for each count – which legal commentators have said is unlikely to happen. Cosby has been under house arrest since his conviction. More than 50 women have come forward to publicly accuse Cosby of sexual assault spanning several decades.